As a kid, I loved watching Monday Night Football with Don Meredith and Howard Cosell. The death of Don Meredith brought back many fond memories of those times. It's funny how things, when your a child, are much grander and magical. The plays seemed much more grand. The highlights at half time seemed like an event. And how can anyone forget Don's calling card bit. "Turn out the lights." It goes without saying, that every time someone dies, it's sad. I often think of a metaphor of a line made up of people standing in line to---say--- renew your drivers licence or standing in line at the movies. Little by little our time is coming. At some point we ourselves will be first in line. The death of an idol saddens me because I remember them as they were years ago. Not right now. The death of an idol or anyone else for that matter, makes me feel like everyone is leaving. I try not to ponder the inevitability of myself taking leave from this life. However, the death of someone whom I care about reminds me that life is really short. When someone dies (leaves for good) despair and sadness take hold at first, but then invigoration and motivation follow.

Turn out the lights, the party's over, but another begins. The line is getting shorter, I must continue my journey.

Hale the IPOD nano 2nd generation

What a device!
I've owned a number of MP3 players, but none can compare to the Ipod nano 2nd generation. I should mention, at one time I was about to toss it out the window. No, not because I couldn't make it work. But, because at one time my computer stopped recognizing it. This was after I had been using it for months. I bought another MP3 player to replace it, when that MP3 player stopped working (a month after I bought it) I returned to my Ipod nano. Miraculously, when I plugged it in to my PC, the device started working again. I was ecstatic. So far so good.

My nano has been through the ringer. At first I was hesitant to take it with me on my jogging routes. I was afraid it was too frail to take out there. After a while I didn't think about it any more. I used to hold all the players I had before in my hand while I ran. Never felt comfortable clipping it anywhere. I did the same with the Ipod. After about a week my sweat seeped into the inside of my Ipod and it started doing very weird things. Like, changing tunes on it's own and the volume level would go up and down on it's own. (this is the reason my PC wouldn't recognize it) Eventually, it stopped working all together. I felt so bad. I knew I should not have held it like that. I knew I screwed it up.

I put my Ipod away for about 6 months. I did with out a music player for that duration. One day I pulled out my Ipod and decided to plug it in just for kicks. The device worked flawlessly. Again, I was elated. Since then this player has been dropped, kicked and unintentionally abused. One time, near the end of one of my runs, I was sprinting across the road and my Ipod popped out of my pocket and landed in the middle of the road. My instinct, of course, was to go back and grab my player. However, there were cars speeding my way so I had to stay out of the way. I stood there in horror as my Ipod got run over by a car. When the coast was clear, I ran and picked up my device. I knew the Ipod was dead. I knew that was truly the end of my Ipod. I picked it up, pressed the play button, and the music started playing. Couldn't believe it. I did have a crack on the screen but other than that the Ipod nano 2nd generation has worked flawlessly. I wouldn't give up my Ipod for any other MP3 player. And, I truly recommend it. It's beautiful, sounds great, very customizable AND VERY DURABLE.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=2nd+gen+ipod+nano&cid=9474494470824072957&ei=EfRMTLe_JY7EzAX5yfSSBw&sa=image&ved=0CA0Q8gIwATgA#p

HTC EVO case w/clip

Finally, I got a case with a clip for my new HTC EVO4G. I'd been looking for one of these contraptions since the time I bought the phone. I did get a cover for it, but I had no way to clip it to my pant pocket. It was a pain, to say the least. I didn't feel safe sticking it in to my pocket because I felt I would lean into something and my EVO would suffer the same fate as my Instinct. Not going to happen with my EVO. So, I had to carry it around in my hand or in my shit pocket. Not good.

Eureka! I went to Best Buy today and there they were. Tons of coves with clips. Like most of you, I really feel the cell phone covers and clips are so over priced. This new cover/clip I bought for the EVO was no different. I paid $34.95+tax for it. However, I have to say that this clip is a very good one. Probably the best phone clip I've ever had. It's sleek, the material feels smooth, durable and light weight. It comes in 2 pieces, a shell that breaks apart and comes together vertically in 2 parts and has a felt cushion on the inside. The other part is a holster in which you clip the phone to. The phone is clipped on the holster with the back facing out. This is a good thing considering the EVO is a touch screen and you want to protect that beautiful screen. The Holster also is lined with felt on the inside to protect the screen, and on the back of the holster is the belt clip. You can clip it on to your pocket, belt or where ever. The clips are firm and the phone is held nice and tightly in place. I must say, I love the fact that clip atop the holster (the one that keeps the phone in place) as well as the belt clip on the back of the holster, are a spring-rocker configuration. This is great! You don't have to worry about waring down the plastic due to constant clipping and un-clipping your phone.

This case is a very good one. Over priced? Yes. The negatives? Well, if you plan on using the EVO as a GPS system in your car while it's clipped? No can do. As I said, the phone is facing in-ward, so you can't see the screen as it's clipped to your visor. Additionally, you can't use to touch screen while driving either. You would have to un-clip the phone, make your selections and clip it back to the holster. But hay, who wants to play with their phone while they drive? Right?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Platinum+Series+-+Case+for+HTC+EVO+4G+Mobile+Phones+-+Black/9943582.p?id=1218198440708&skuId=9943582&st=evo%20belt%20clip&contract_desc=null

My EVO 4G

So now that I've finally got my new HTC EVO and I've been enjoying it for the past 5 days, I'm getting comfortable with it. I have one thing to say about this phone. I love it! I've been reading through the manual and trying out the features. It's so cool how you can customize the phone and add apps etc etc.

This is by far the best phone I have ever owned. That may change in the coming days or months, but for now it's "the bomb." I'm really big on Internet radio, police scanners, podcasts and streaming videos and the EVO is a monster for such applications. The call quality on the phone is soooo much better than the Blackberry I had before. Multi-tasking is great too. The big 4.3 inch screen is great and the Sense system works great and is very responsive. The Android OS is very smooth and is fast. When navigating the screens and applications, the OS is very responsive and quick. This, for me, is a very very big breath of fresh air. I say that because the Blackberry Curve 8330 that I had before, was terrible. I'm not a hard core hacker/tech tinker person. However, I've been trying to push the EVO to see what it can handle. So far, A+ No matter what I do now or in the next few day, it's what happens down the road. How will the phone work 3, 6, 9 months from now? We shall see.

Personally, I recommend the HTC EVO with all my heart.

Check out this review of the EVO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucJ6ULMFo9E

Iphone cool-aide

The I-phone, with out a doubt, is a wonderful platform and a marvelous smartphone. However, the latest incarnation of the I-phone (the I-phone 4) has a little antenna problem. As most of you have learn first hand or through news reports, the I-phone's new antenna is placed on the exterior of the phone along the outside edge of the phone. The antenna strip encircles the phone with a very small gap. When a user holds the I-phone in the left hand, in a particular way, the the hand makes a bridge between the gap, thus denigrating the the signal strength of the phone which leads to dropped calls.

This is ridiculous! It is clumsy! It's down right stupid!

But listening to the I-phone "cool-aide" drinkers, this is but a miss step. Apple is given a pass. Apple CEO's reaction to the problem was "just don't hold it that way." Stupid!

If this were Microsoft, Motorola or some other company, these same "cool-aide" drinkers would be so up in arms and condescending. They would be so outraged. Wow, what journalistic open mindedness. Face it I-Phone"cool-aide" drinkers, the antenna dilemma is a big big gaff. The I-phone 4 is not a 4g phone and it only has a 5 megapixle cam. Personally, I have held all of my cell phones in all kinds of positions and I have never dropped a call due to the way I was holding the phone. I know this because when I dropped a call, I continued holding it the same way and the call didn't drop again. This goes back the my old Nokia analog phone.

Cool-aide drinkers, don't try to hide it. This antenna gaff is F_ing embarrassing. My choice, HTC EVO here we come.

No father on father's day

I'm remembering my dad right now. Remembering because that's all I can do. My father has been gone (dead) for two and a half years. My dad (which was actually my step dad) was not a perfect man. He had his share of flaws as we all do. But as is the usual way, we remember the good things. I remember at this moment when I used to help my dad deliver the CC Caller-Times to customers many many years ago. We started the route about 2:30 in the morning and usually finished about 5 or 6 in the morning. Those were some of the best times of my life. Those summers were so much fun listening to music, snacking, laughing and yes making a little money to boot. At this very moment I'm listening to a playlist of songs that were hits during the time we worked that summer. Oh, what memories those songs bring back to me. Memories of my dad making us laugh by cracking jokes and by simply being dad. My heart breaks right now listening to those songs. How I wish my dad was still here being dad. Those songs, that music, those notes that are etched in my memory of specific moments brings me sadness. Sadness, not because they were sad times, but because those times are gone for ever. Sadness because I wish I could go back and relive those times, and I can't. Sadness, because my dad was alive when I heard these same notes all those years ago. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can't believe that my dad is dead. It seems so impossible that he could not be at the house with my mom. It just doesn't seem real. It just can't be true. Sometimes I'll see a man that looks like my dad and for a nano second I'll think it's actually him. Wow, that's how much I don't want to believe he's gone. Reaching for the impossible.

This father's day will come and go as the last 2 did and the proceeding ones will. However, I will always think back to the times my dad was alive with sadness as well as happiness. My thoughts and prayers do not commence or cease on a manufactured "father's day." Father's day is everyday. As much as humanly possible I'll try so very hard to live everyday as if though it's my last. I'll try so very hard to soak everything up and take every thing in. I'll always try to remember that the time we live in right now is "back then." What we do right now is "back then." Happy father's day dad! I dedicate this day to you. Thank you for all you did for me. I wish I could have said thank you more. I wish I could have said goodbye.

Geologic Time

I can see how we, as a human race, are so very small and insignificant when measured next to geologic time. We are but a blink of an eye next to geologic time . All of man-made's edifices and all that exists at this moment will, in time, be metamorphized. There will be no evidence that we ever existed. We, as a race, will either die due to a cataclysmic extinction event, or we will be forced to inhabit another celestial body. In any case, just think about this. We measure a human life in 10's of years. On average, humans live about 80 years old. A species has an average life of about 10 million years. In comparison, geologic time is measured in BILLIONS OF YEARS. BILLIONS OF YEARS. We are all the epitome of insignificance.

Whatch you talkin' bout willis?

I am so sad to find out today that Gary Coleman has left us. Diff'rent strokes was one of my very favorite sit-coms of all time. Despite all the controversy about him in recent times, he always showed his perseverance. I am going to miss him very very much. Love you Gary! May you be with God.

Chubby Checker Day

What is a chubby checker day? Let me explain. I got the term chubby checker from a movie by the name of "Fatso" The main character, played by Dom Deluise, is fat and is trying to loose weight. He joins a weight lose group and is very optimistic that this will finally be the time when he is going to loose weight once and for all. He does great to a point. One night, after watching his brother eat a "regular" meal while eating his diet prescribed meal, he begins to waver. He goes to bed and decides to watch a little TV. It turns out that every channel he chooses to watch just so happens to be showing food or people eating food. He can no longer contain himself. He jumps out of bed and is planning to break his diet. After a tussle with his brother he calls his weight lose support group. The support group has created a support mechanism to help members in times of weakness. They have a couple of members (called chubby checkers) that are on call to check on fellow members when they have a moment of weakness. The 2 support members arrive at Dominic's house and commence the counseling session. They listen to Dom spill his guts and provide understanding. Dom and the chubby checkers begin talking about food. It starts out innocently and the conversation builds as they continue talking about the types of food they like. They get so immersed and obsessed with the food conversation that they become possessed and tear down the chained cabinets and proceed to cook, eat and eat and eat and eat. So the chubby checkers and Dom forget all about the diet program and have a feastarama galore. So, now when I decided to have a big-time eat o rama, I call it having a chubby checker day.

Memorial Coliseum

Early on in my life I felt differently about seeing old buildings torn down. I watched the old Alice High School building demolished. I watched some of my old elementary schools torn down to make way for the newer, more modern educational edifices. It hurt not being able to gaze at the old buildings and reminisce about the days I spent there. It bothered me just knowing that the building was no longer there.

Now it's all different. Aside from the shocker I got when I drove by William Adams Junior High School and seeing nothing left of the old school. (That was a f**ing sad and surreal feeling. Because I had no, absolutely no idea the old complex was going to be destroyed.) Aside from that I don't have any expectation of anything lasting. That has always been an axiom for time in memorial. But, I guess for me, it has really hit home. It has ceased to be just a saying and has become a reality for me. A way of life so to speak. It may have a lot to do with personal experiences and most recently taking 2 geology classes. After studying various aspects of how our planet got here, it has become crystal clear that we as human beings are superfluous in the grand scheme of things. We will all die. If we make it to a time were we can inhabit another celestial body, we may have a chance to survive. But, that's not likely. The most a species has ever made it is 10million years. So, buildings of any kind don't really concern me anymore. Progress in our lifetime is inevitable. But in the end everything we see and build will be destroyed and metamorphized by our planet.

reality tv shows

So what is the attraction to reality TV shows? I guess it's the same thing that has made TV and entertainment in general so appealing. Conflict. But, it seems that the conflict in many of the reality TV shows is manufactured. Let's face it, there is very little reality in reality TV. Reality is mostly very boring. In my opinion, the closest thing to true reality TV was the very first Real World. Why? Because those people had no idea what to expect. Sure, they new cameras were going to be following them but they couldn't have know how to react to them once they were in the house. And, they had no idea what was going to be edited out and what wasn't. That still wasn't reality. But it was as close as it will ever get in a TV production. Ever since that time the people cast in that and every other reality TV show prepare for their 15 minutes of fame. They prepare to be as load, obnoxious, silly etc. in the hopes of being tapped as the next big movie star or celebrity. There are also the other types of reality TV shows. The ones that follow already famous people around. I must admit that I enjoy 1 or 2 of these shows myself. Why? It seems to me that they are already rich and famous, so what could they want to accomplish by being silly and or obnoxious? Well, just watching them be silly or rude or crazy is kind of fun. Ya they probably act a certain way to get a good scene. Or, they may do things they normally wouldn't do to get a good ratings bit. But hey, that's what they do. Those people no how to make good TV. My favorite reality TV show has to be Gene Simmons Family Jewels. Why? I don't know. I'm not really a big Kiss fan and I don't really listen to their music very much. In fact I don't even have 1 mp3 in my library. But the show captivates me. I guess it's the way Gene Simmons "carries" himself and he can be funny and entertaining. And, yes I get to see Sophie and Shannon who are both very hot. That helps.

All in all I guess it comes down to taste and choice. Maybe the fact that I'm older now and can tell the difference between genuine conflict and manufactured conflict a bit better as opposed to when I was younger and conflict of any sort was eye candy. No matter how real a person is once the cameras are on and especially when the final cut is seen, people are people and there will always be some acting that goes on along with the reality.